Take More than Rain and Rocks
by So-Sings-Nightingales
Summary: Fili and Kili were not the only brothers to be separated during the Thunder Battle...


**Disclaimer:** The book, The Hobbit, belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, and by no means do I own the movie. I do not own these characters and I am not making a profit from this story. I am just taking these characters out for a walk in the park and I promise to return them in one piece.

**Enjoy!**

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It was cold, bitterly so. It was the kind of cold that seeps deep into your bones, unrelenting and unforgiving. No amount of warmth could dispel the icy fingers of the harsh weather. The rain soaked everyone without discrimination. No matter how nice a coat the Dwarves wore, the rain found some way of weaseling its way into every crevice of their already frigid bodies. However uncomfortable the rain might have been, nothing could compare to the wind. Certainly the rain was freezing, but the wind created a bitter blanket. Balin tugged his coat tighter around his body, wondering why he even bothered when his gloved hands squished the saturated fabric.

The wise Dwarf glanced behind at the line of soaked Dwarves, instantly finding his brother who looked absolutely miserable. If looks could melt stone, the Misty Mountains would be nothing more than a pile of pebbles. The mental image made Balin smile despite the less than desirable conditions. The voice of his brother calling out a warning caused Balin to startle from his musings as a boulder smashed above their heads, sending shards of rock to land on the unprotected Company. Looking towards the point of origin Balin could only stare in disbelief as a form emerged from the mountain side, he barely even realized he spoke out loud—they were not in the midst of a thunder _storm_, but a thunder _battle_. The old Dwarf could hardly hear Bofur's cry of astonishment past his own unbelieving thoughts.

Before anyone else could say another word the once solid rock beneath their soggy feet began to shift. Balin looked around in horror as he realized the Company was being separated on the legs of another Stone Giant. Balin did not notice the two youngest members of the Company being torn apart from the other's grasp, nor did he hear the cries of the rest of the Company— his eyes were only for his brother who was swiftly moving in the opposite direction. Their eyes met for only a split second before Dwalin was forced to break away in search for hand holds.

Balin had accepted long ago that he might lose his brother in some horrific battle, or maybe to an unrelenting illness. If not by some outside force, the possibility of being separated by old age loomed over head, for they were only mortals after all. But not this, Balin could not lose his brother by some freak event such as being _crushed_ by stones. They have survived a dragon, wandering the wilderness, being homeless, the Battle of Azanulbizar, Trolls, and a number of other events Balin could name off the top of his head and hundreds of others he could recall given time, but _Stone Giants_? No, they were never part of the equation and Balin was not about to lose his brother to them. But what could he, or anyone else, do? They were helpless. They could only watch and wait as he and the few other "lucky" Dwarves managed to escape the leg of the monstrous being.

What were they doing on this doomed quest anyway? Because that was what it was, doomed from the start. How could thirteen Dwarves, a Hobbit, and a Wizard possibly hope to defeat a Dragon? Yes the signs show that Smaug might be dead or gone, but what if he was not? They would all be obliterated and the line of Durin would fall once and for all. Although Balin thought this quest was doomed from the start, it did not mean he had no faith in his king. Balin trusted Thorin with his life and would follow him to his death, for he was fiercely loyal to his exiled king and friend, as was his brother for that manner. It had taken little convincing of Dwalin to undertake this quest. Where Thorin went, one could find Dwalin. It was like the old warrior had appointed himself "body guard" over Thorin. Or maybe it was just that they had a deep connection, a bond, a _brotherhood_, that can only be born through adversity.

It had not taken much convincing for Balin to join the quest either, but that did not mean he would not tried to sway Thorin the other way. Even in Bilbo's Hobbit Hole when the Company was officially gathered, Balin was unable to change his friend's mind. Balin did not have faith in this quest, but he was certainly going to see it through to the end, whatever the outcome. And Balin could only hope and _pray_ that his brother and the majority of the Company would also.

Balin swore his heart stopped cold as the Stone Giant carrying his brother and the Company took a direct hit, slowly falling in a descending arc… right towards the mountain face! Balin opened his mouth to scream, to curse, to _breathe_, but nothing escaped his lips. He did not hear his kin around him scream in panic or Thorin call in anguish for his nephew, all Balin could hear was blood rushing through his body as panic over took him. It was a strange feeling, the normally level-headed Dwarf thought; panic had never taken ahold of him like it was now.

As the Giant crashed horrifically into the side of the mountain the sound was deafening—a noise Balin was not likely soon to forget. How could his brother survive a direct hit like that? Balin's face felt wet, and it was not entirely rain slipping down his cheeks. Balin numbly followed the bodies in front of him as they surged towards the point of impact, dreading what they might find. Nothing mattered anymore, all Balin wanted was for his brother to be _alive_.

Rounding the corner, Balin gasped in relief seeing the separated members of the Company in a heap, very much alive. The following events were a blur with Bilbo than Thorin dangling off the side of the mountain—all Balin wanted was to be by his brother's side, to see for himself that Dwalin was alright. But the ledge they were standing on was narrow and there were so many bodies between him and Dwalin, Balin had to force himself to keep calm and not push the crowded Dwarves off the edge of the cliff so he could reach his brother.

Word quickly reached Balin's ears of a cave and before he knew it everyone was filing in out of the wind and rain. Moments later Balin was _finally_ at his brother's side. Grasping Dwalin's massive biceps Balin spun his brother to face him. "Are you alright?" he breathed out.

The brother's silently studied each other, searching for hidden injuries and reassuring themselves that everything was okay, that the ordeal was over.

Dwalin gently rested his hands on Balin's shoulders and brought their foreheads together. "It will take more than a little rain and rock to get rid of me, brother. I am afraid you are stuck with me for the duration of this quest."

Letting the stress and anxiety of the past few hours out of his system with a laugh Balin took comfort in the physical contact of his brother. They may be on a doomed quest, but Balin was willing to take the risks as long as his brother was by his side.

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**Author's Note****: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. It was a challenge for me to write in Balin's POV, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, so please leave a review! :)**


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